Need advice on buying used Denon AVR-5803 or 5805

Serendipity

Looking into buying a used Denon AVR-5803 or 5805 from eBay. I'd hate to have it show up and not be as described, like my last used purchase, and be out a lot of $$$. As a result this time I want to be more careful. The units I am looking at are the following:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DENON-AVR-5805-STEREO-RECEIVER-5805-HOME-THEATER-HDMI-/290646652907?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item43abe3f7eb

or

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-AVR-5803-AM-FM-Home-Theater-Stereo-Receiver-/290618533769?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43aa36e789

I would prefer the AVR-5805, but it is located in Colorado and would have to be shipped. The AVR-5803 is in Pittsburgh so I would drive there and pick it up. This is a lot of money to me, and would be my first significant audio purchase, so I'd hate to fork over this much and get scammed.

What would you do? Go for the 5803 (in person) or the 5805 (ship)?

Edit: Also concerned that the seller of the 5805 only tested it for power up and speaker output but nothing else. Says that the only warranty is against DOA, power up, and speaker output but *nothing* else. Is that a sign of a dishonest seller?

nhhiep

wow, that 5805 is a monster. but price is kinda high for a 5-6 yrs old used avr.

Serendipity

nhhiep wrote: »

wow, that 5805 is a monster. but price is kinda high for a 5-6 yrs old used avr.

It's not even the price that bothers me, it's the principle. How do you only guarantee "dead on arrival, power up, and speaker output" but only those three things? And nothing else? What if the digital inputs or the tuner doesn't work? It takes literally 15 minutes to test these things, and that's including finding a DVD player or source to hook up.

cnh

If you're going to buy "used" you might be better off buying what Denon's site lists as B stock dealers (come with a one year warranty). IMO the 580X series (TOTL) is still too expensive. Consider an AVR 480X.

http://www.dakmart.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=denon&sort=2a&&page=11

cnh

Serendipity

There is also an AVR-5800 going for $999 on eBay in Upstate NY - price seems fair.

I might check some of these out in person.

Serendipity

cnh wrote: »

If you're going to buy "used" you might be better off buying what Denon's site lists as B stock dealers (come with a one year warranty). IMO the 580X series (TOTL) is still too expensive. Consider an AVR 480X.

Would the AVR-480x series sound less dynamic than the 580x series? The biggest use will be for 2 channel music and Concert DVD's. I'd go with separates if I could play DVD-A and Multichannel DTS Concert DVD's, but most 2ch DACs don't accept DD/DTS.

cnh

Obviously the 5800 series has more "power". But feature-wise and sound processing wise the 4800 series has most of what the higher model has. I'd say there would not be much of a difference in sound. 4800s are quite "musical" for what you're describing. Less Dynamic? I don't think so. But, of course, if I were you I'd check that out personally.

cnh

nhhiep

if you worry too much about buying used item online. If you buy from ebay, paypal will help you out if you get a defective item. Otherwise, try local first.
I bought my Denon 3806 from CL and HK citation from Audiogon. Both in great working condition. In fact, I am checking ebay and audiogon weekly hoping to see a Citation 7.1 pops up.

man, looking at the size of the 5805, I can't imagine what it looks inside and the power.

Serendipity

IIRC, these were the few receivers that provided "separates" performance - i.e. they delivered advertised power in 2 channels driven mode. Something like 170W/ch into 8 ohms in stereo mode. And the massive weight of 60+lbs puts it into a different league from your typical Big Box store receiver.

tonyb

Too high of a price for either. There a Pioneer SC 09 on chicagos craigslist for 1800. Still given the power and processing abilities of high end receivers, they are still challenged driving 4 ohm speakers in a surround setup. If your path is going to take you down that road of bigger speakers in the 4 ohm department, get a cheaper receiver with preouts and a good amp which will leave you coin left over for other upgrades. Plus that 5803 I don't think has hdmi inputs.

Serendipity

tonyb wrote: »

Too high of a price for either. There a Pioneer SC 09 on chicagos craigslist for 1800. Still given the power and processing abilities of high end receivers, they are still challenged driving 4 ohm speakers in a surround setup. If your path is going to take you down that road of bigger speakers in the 4 ohm department, get a cheaper receiver with preouts and a good amp which will leave you coin left over for other upgrades. Plus that 5803 I don't think has hdmi inputs.

I know that the 5803 doesn't have HDMI inputs, but that can be solved with a DVDO iScan Duo:

Link here: http://www.dvdo.com/iScanDuo.aspx

It basically is an external scaler/source switcher/video processor that handles all the video work. Kinda like using an external DAC with your 2 channel gear. It does all that in a separate box so you don't need a receiver with HDMI inputs.

As for getting an amp, the major problem I have with most receivers is the preamp section, not the amp section. You can't get high-quality DACs and a good signal path without spending some $$$. Plus most AVR's have cheap components and that does contribute to poorer sound quality.

tonyb

So why not just go for a HT pre and an amp ? Aside from that, adding a 1000 buck scaler seems pointless imho as a work around to hdmi.

Serendipity

tonyb wrote: »

So why not just go for a HT pre and an amp ?

How would I hook up my Zone 2 / Zone 3 speakers?

What about home automation control? Would require a lot of IR repeaters for sure.

Serendipity

tonyb wrote: »

So why not just go for a HT pre and an amp ? Aside from that, adding a 1000 buck scaler seems pointless imho as a work around to hdmi.

The separate scalers have better picture quality than the ones bundled with HT receivers.

And once I replace the screen with a motorized screen, the projector, screen, and entire HT can be powered on via a control system (Denon has RS-232 control). Oh and you don't need to switch on any amps before watching the system.

tonyb

Gotcha, maybe I missed that. What kind of automation control are you using ?

Serendipity

tonyb wrote: »

Gotcha, maybe I missed that. What kind of automation control are you using ?

I am building my own. It was a project me and a few other Electrical Engineering/CompSci students started while in college, but I've decided to turn it into a business.

tonyb

Alot of HT pre/pro's have outstanding pre amp sections with zone controls. Cary, Classe, Anthem, come to mind.

pitdogg2

cnh wrote: »

If you're going to buy "used" you might be better off buying what Denon's site lists as B stock dealers (come with a one year warranty). IMO the 580X series (TOTL) is still too expensive. Consider an AVR 480X.

http://www.dakmart.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=denon&sort=2a&&page=11

cnh

best advise right here.^^^^^^^^ I would not buy any Denon item from a pawn or consignment shop too many risks. Denon will not work on any item bought from any non-authorized shop. I also would not go back any farther than the 5805. At least with the 5805 you can send it in to be upgraded(firmware) 5803 not so much so here again is where my first comment comes in buy it from non-authorized shop and no support for upgrades......

Serendipity

What if I drive there and test the unit myself? Already called a few and the owners seem very nice and were willing to describe the unit in detail... although they are second (or third) hand units.

Serendipity

OK, here's the update. Found one, in good condition, and made an offer. Payment will be upon pickup, so I'm out nothing if the unit is not as described. Just have to pay for gas and tolls.

I'm hoping this will work out...